Can seniors on Social Security still get EDD benefits if laid off from full-time job?

Your supervisor is WRONG! You absolutely CAN receive both Social Security retirement benefits AND unemployment insurance at the same time in California. I went through this exact situation last year. The key factors are: 1. You were working at a W-2 job where you paid into UI 2. You were laid off through no fault of your own 3. You're still able and available for work Being on Social Security doesn't disqualify you at all. The only thing to know is that you must report your Social Security income when you certify for benefits every two weeks. But Social Security is NOT deducted from your weekly benefit amount in California (some other states do reduce UI benefits, but not CA). File your claim ASAP - you have nothing to lose by applying!

My mom (67) just went thru this in January!!! They laid her off after 12 years and she got both SS and unemployment no problem. Her boss also told her she couldn't get both which is TOTALLY FALSE. File your claim right away because it takes forever to process these days. She had to wait almost 5 weeks to see her first payment.

Just to provide some additional clarity here - the confusion often happens because some income sources DO reduce unemployment benefits, but Social Security retirement benefits are not one of them in California. When you file your claim, you'll need: 1. Your employment history for the past 18 months 2. Your Social Security Number 3. Your citizenship/work authorization status 4. Your last employer's information During bi-weekly certification, you'll need to report your Social Security income, but it won't reduce your weekly benefit amount (WBA). Your WBA will be calculated based on your highest-earning quarter in the base period (typically the 12-month period before your last quarter of work). One important note: You must still be able and available for full-time work to qualify for unemployment benefits. So when certifying, make sure you indicate you're able and looking for work.

im getting so mad reading this!! why do employers LIE about this stuff??? my dad's boss told him the exact same thing when he got laid off at 66. its like they try to discourage people from claiming benefits they DESERVE after paying into the system forever!!!!

When you certify make sure you're doing your work search activities each week. They're really strict about this now. You need to apply to jobs or do networking or job training and document it all.

I was in your exact situation last year and couldn't get through to EDD for weeks to ask questions about my claim. Finally found a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes instead of spending days redialing. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km Totally worth it because the EDD rep was able to explain exactly how my Social Security affected my claim (it didn't) and fixed an issue that was holding up my payments. Just sharing since the phone situation with EDD is still awful from what I hear.

just be carful when u certify dont make mistakes or they put u on pending forever and good luck reaching anyone lol

Sorry to jump in with something slightly off-topic, but does anyone know if the same rules apply for SSDI (disability) rather than regular Social Security retirement? My sister is in a similar situation but with disability benefits.

To answer your question about work search requirements - you typically need to perform at least 3 work search activities each week. These can include: - Applying for jobs - Attending job interviews - Registering with CalJOBS - Networking with professional contacts - Attending job fairs or workshops Keep a detailed log of all these activities including dates, companies, contact information, and results. EDD can audit your work search efforts at any time, and inadequate documentation could result in benefit disqualification. Also, since you're over 65, make sure you're looking for suitable work similar to your previous position. You don't have to accept jobs that are substantially different from your recent work experience.

One other thing I forgot to mention!!! When my mom applied they asked all these questions about her pension too (which she doesn't have) but they told her some pensions DO affect your unemployment amount while Social Security doesn't. Just in case you have a pension too.